55% employees face bullying at workplace: Survey

New Delhi, Nov 24: A large number of employees have been bullied at their workplace, with most of them facing false accusations and constant criticism by bosses or colleagues, says a survey.

According to the survey by job portal CareerBuilder.in, about 55 per cent of Indian workers revealed that they have been bullied at work. The two most common forms of bullying reported by employees was of being falsely accused of mistakes they didn't commit (33 per cent) followed by being ignored, wherein their comments were dismissed or not acknowledged (32 per cent).

Besides, 31 per cent workers were found to be constantly criticised by the boss or co-workers, while 29 per cent said they were purposely being excluded from projects or meetings.

The survey noted that over 40 per cent of the workers did not report of such incidents to their HR department, with 81 per cent saying that they had confronted the bully themselves, with varying results.

Of those who reported being picked on, 37 per cent said that action was taken while 21 per cent said nothing was done. "It is important to remember that bullying impacts workers of all backgrounds regardless of race, education, age, income and level of authority within an organisation," CareerBuilder Vice President of Human Resources Rosemary Haefner.

"Many of the workers who have experienced bullying don't confront the bully or decide not to report the incidents which can prolong a negative work experience that leads some to leave their jobs," Haefner said.

Close to 47 per cent workers said they were bullied by someone older than themselves while seven per cent also reported being picked on by their customers.

A large number of victims were bullied by their bosses (25 per cent) or colleagues (22 per cent). Of those who confronted their bully, 17 per cent said that the bullying had gotten worse. The survey covered more than 1,000 people aged 18-70 working in corporates.